Supersonic Car Seeks to Inspire Generation of Engineers

We start 2011 by going supersonic with news of the BLOODHOUND supersonic car (SSC) project that hopes to inspire a new generation of engineers, innovators and inventors: with a car designed to reach speeds of 1,000 mph, or Mach 1.4, an extraordinary 240 mph faster than the existing land speed record.

Billed as an engineering adventure, the primary aim of the project is to “create a national surge in the popularity of science and technology, engineering andmathematics (STEM).”

BLOODHOUND is powered by an 800 bhp racing engine, a jet – the Eurojet EJ200 – and a hybrid rocket. You can watch BLOODHOUND SCC’s latest video below, that gives an idea of how a successful 1,000 mph run might look.

The current land speed record (over one mile) is 760 mph (1,228 km/h) held by Thrust SCC, and set in October 1997: the first supersonic speed record. The BLOODHOUND SSC team, made up of many of those involved in Thrust SCC, including driver Andy Green, looks set to beat this and believes they have every chance of succeeding in their quest to travel at over 1,000 mph on land.

You can join and support the project and follow developments on their Twitter. We will also bring you updates on the project in the coming months.

We have written about our Radio Remote Controls (RRC) before. With such a wide range of applications, we have something new to share quite often. We have seen our RRCs control oil skimmers, an unmanned vessel, Goldhofer vehicles and heavy machinery used to clear munitions from a NATO test range in Norway.

Leading aircraft manufacturer Airbus recently published the latest results of a two-year survey into passenger preferences for the future of flying. The consultation is part of the group's ongoing 'The Future by Airbus' programme that includes a concept aircraft on which you can 'play' golf and settle into seats that morph to fit your body.